I live and work on the east coast of the United States, in Albany, NY. I can be reached by phone between normal business hours, and by email. I don’t have visiting hours because I work from home, and I work for people all over the world.

Phone: 518-505-6617
Email: info@perfectaphoto.com

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Will you scan my photos for me?

A. I do have a scanner but I prefer not be responsible for scanning unless its absolutely necessary, for liability reasons. I don’t want you to mail your priceless family photos in the mail, for example, and have them be lost.  I can work with you to understand what you need to provide me to work from. There are many office product stores like Office Max, Fed Ex-Kinkos and others which will scan a photo for you and provide it on a CD you can mail to me.

Q. How do I get the images to you that I want worked on?

A. Most people email them. If they are huge, I will provide you with instructions to upload them to the web, where I can download them.

Q. So, you will work with me even if I am not local?

A. Absolutely! I have been providing services to customers all over the world for well over  a decade. As long as we can communicate, exchange files and you can pay me, there is no limit to where you might be to work with me. I’ve worked with clients in India, Malaysia, Germany, Australia, Scotland, England, Africa and many other distant lands.

Q. How do you accept payment?

A. In most cases, I require a credit card to secure a job before I start if it is going to be more than an hour or so work. I accept Visa and Mastercard, as well as Paypal and checks. I can take credit card payments by phone. I will show you the finished work in a small, unprintable size, often with a watermark and if that is approved, we can go forward. I will collect payment before delivering the work on CD or by email.

Q. How much does it cost?

A. There is no one answer to that – it depends entirely on your photo(s) and the amount of work that is required. Unlike many of my competitors, I don’t just run your photo through a bunch of Photoshop filters and extract money from your wallet. There is a good reason why my work looks natural and the competition often looks a bit “off.” I am an artist and I put the time and attention into customizing the solution to make your photo look as perfect as possible, without it looking edited.

Photo restoration work ranges anywhere from $30-$250, usually. Simple photo editing such as removing wrinkles or blemishes is going to take as little as 15-30 minutes, while repairing water damage, cracks and tears can take a 3-4 hours. A lot depends on whether I have to hand paint in areas of an image that are lost, for example if there are a lot of deep cracks, and also, the overall size of the photo. For instance, if it is a large image and the entire detail surfaced is cracked, I might need to zoom in to do deep, extensive restoration. That can take a while! I try to keep my prices reasonable so that you are getting the quality you expect and can afford to have the work done on one or more photos. When you think about it, it is a pretty cost effective investment because once it is restored, you can give the same photo as a gift to multiple family members!

For collage and photo art work, I will factor in whether your photos are “good to go” as is, or whether they need work, and whether there is any stock photography necessary. If you need photography – ie., a perfect pair of butterfly wings for your baby’s photo – I can help you find and purchase images. If there is printing or shipping involved, I’ll include that as an separate cost. I will always provide a project cost and stick with that – there will be no surprises at the end. The reality is that I’m a professional, doing this in the highest quality and very detailed manner, and I do not send the work overseas to be done cheaply like many of my competitors do. And I actually work very fast, having done this for so long. The end result on restoration and photo art will be something of heirloom quality that you can be proud to give as a gift.

Once I see your photo, and know what you want, I can provide you with a no-obligation estimate.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Q. Do you have a bulk rate?

A. I do certainly consider that when preparing an estimate. If you have a number of photos that need restoration, it is only fair that I discount it a bit. Similarly, with photo editing and retouching, if you’re a photographer and you have a lot of photos you need worked on, I’ll definitely provide a bulk rate for you. The foundation of my business practice has always been long term, ongoing and mutually beneficial relationships. That said, I only provide bulk rates when the bulk is proven – if someone tells me “I plan to give you lots of work in the future if you give me a good deal now” – well, I’ve been a designer for a long time and wish I had a nickle for every time I heard that *smile*

Q. What about referrals?

A. This business relies and thrives on word of mouth and referrals. If you know someone who needs my services and can let me know or let them know to let me know where the referral came from, you bet – I will even pay a small referral fee as a token of my appreciation. If you’re in a position to send a lot of business my way – ie., you work with seniors who want to leave a legacy to their family, you’re affiliated with a photography studio and can send retouching work my way, or know how to reach archivists or family historians, we definitely should talk!

Q. Do you have a guarantee?

A. Absolutely. This is it: if you are not pleased with the results, I don’t want your money. It is that simple. Of course, in the rare event that happens, I would not provide you with the final images, and we’d part ways in peace.

Have other questions? Give me a call at 518-505-6617.